Bottled water giants back new global plan to cut plastic waste

An Evian bottled water. Evian’s mother company, Danone, is partnering with packaging giant TetraPak and other global bottled water brands on a new initiative to boost plastic recycling especially in developing countries. Image: The world’s biggest yoghurt maker Danone and food packaging giant Tetra Pak are among companies leading a global scheme to reduce plastic waste, launched on Tuesday, as public concern rises over the environmental damage caused by rubbish. The 3R Initiative—also backed by Swiss food giant Nestle, which owns Perrier and Vittel bottled waters, and French utility Veolia—aims to reduce, recover and recycle more plastic waste by helping companies measure and reach pollution-cutting goals. “We wanted to create a mechanism that could incentivise new and expanded collection and recycling of waste plastic,” said Julianne Baroody, a director at US-based non-profit Verra which will craft new standards for measuring plastic waste. Companies are trying to improve their environmental record, as consumers become increasingly aware of the damaging impact of plastic, with millions of tonnes of food packaging and bottles ending up in landfills and oceans each year. Baroody told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that Danone—which produces the popular mineral water brand Evian—had asked for help to meet its […]

Grant Brown is a passionate environmentalist, driven by a need to “leave it better than he found it”. This drive, combined with a capacity to understand power solutions of all types, helps him in his day job as VP Marketing at a start up clean technology company. His goal personally as well as professionally, is to help and inspire others to become a part of the green shift and to leave a positive legacy in the world.